A Father's Love Is Deeper Then The Ocean
by Marie S Zachary
Summary: Rex and Briiten's relationship has been close throughout the years. When Hannah makes a discovery looking through a photo album it may be that Rex is still alive


Disclaimer: I don't own Awake. Also note to Chazz I will get the other story done as soon as I get inspearation for it

* * *

He stared down at the infant in his arms. This child had just been born but he was the most incredible thing that ever happened to him. He was so tiny. He was so innocent. Unlike their first child he was so healthy. He looked over at his wife who was asleep after a hard labor but she was smiling too. He knew that GOD had blessed him and his family.

One of his best friends once told him parenting is a balencing act but there is no safety net. His friend had a ten year old boy and an eighteen year old girl. Emma-Leigh would have been eight today had she lived. How irronic that Rex was born on Emma-Leigh's birthday. Hannah was delighted when she found out that Rex would be born on our first child's birthday. She considered it a sign that our little guy would be healthy instead of sickly like their first child. Emma-Leigh didn't live to see her fifth birthday.

A knock at the door interupted his thoughts. It was his friend, Ben.

"Hey," Ben said, "Wow he's beautiful."

"Yeah," Michael replied, "He looks just like his old man."

Ben laughed.

"Britten you are a lot of things but old ain't one of them," Ben said.

"I'll tell you what **is **one of them," Britten said, "Scared."

"That's normal," Ben said, I was scared when Caroline was born and I was scared when Conner was born but I learned that parenting is about protecting your children and at the same time letting them grow up. You want your children to be able to live a normal life and at the same time be safe."

"If I could have done that," Michael replied, "My first child would have still been alive."

"Illness doesn't work like that," Ben said.

"How do you do that anyway," Michael asked, "Protect your children and let them grow at the same time?"

* * *

"Michael," Hannah said, "Are you okay?"

"As okay as I can be," Britten replied.

"I know," Hannah said, "You know I've been thinking. It's... well you'll think this is stupid."

"No I won't," he said.

"How do you know," she said, "I haven't even said what I was thinking yet. Maybe I was going to say the moon is made of cheeseburgers."

"That would be awesome," Britten replied causing Hannah to giggle.

* * *

Rex was 6 pounds when he was born. He was exactly six pounds but he had a set of lungs on him that would make a megaphone proud. That first night home was rough. He cried every few minutes. Sometimes it was easy to tell what was wrong. He had a full diaper. He was hungry. Sometimes he just wanted to be held. The first night he ended up falling asleep in between his mother and his father.

"Can you believe this," Hannah whispered to Michael in amazement, "He's so healthy."

"And he's ours," Britten said, "I'm exhausted but he's worth it."

"So how are we going to raise him," Hannah said.

"I think that it's important to be responsive parents," Britten said yawning, "Not reactive parents."

"You're so right," Hannah said, "and also we need to make sure that we are his friend as well as his parents. It's important"

"Obviously not in the same way that his peers will be his friend,"Britten responded, "But yes"

"As tiring as it is I don't think we should sleep train him. Babies cry for a reason. Sometimes they're hungry or cold or have a full diaper. Sometimes they just need to be held I think it's important to make sure those needs are filled."

"I agree a hundred percent," Michael replied, "I can't imagine being a baby and left alone to cry myself to sleep."

* * *

"I can't explain it," Hannah said, "It's not anything that there is proof of and everything seems to suggest the opposite but I just can't help thinking that Rex may still be alive."

Britten sat up in bed and loked at his wife.

"It sounds like motherly instincts," he said, "But he was in the car with us."

"I don't think he was," Hannah said.

"Hannah," Michael said, "We were in the car."

"Yes but he wasn't," Hannah said, "That boy in the car with us was not Rex. Do you remember when Rex was nine and he got that scar on his forehead?"

"Sure?"

Hannah handed Michael a pile of pictures.

"Where's the scar," she asked.

Britten looked through the photos carefully. The boy in the photo had no scar.

"But why would someone pretend to be Rex," Michael asked out loud, "and if that is Rex then what happened to the scar."

"THANK YOU," Hannah said.

* * *

When Rex was four weeks old he woke up screaming. His face was bright red and he was warm to the touch.

Hannah was freaking out.

"What if he's sick like Emma-Leigh was," she asked Michael in tears.

"If he is we'll deal with it and get him better," Michael replied calmly bouncing Rex.

He placed a phone call to the doctor.

"I'm sure it's not a big deal," the doctor said, "But just to be on the safe side I'll come over and take a look at him."

"You will," Michael exclaimed, "Thank you so much."

The doctor examined the baby when he got there.

"He has an ear infection," the doctor said, "Give him 3 drops of this every 12 hours and call me in the morning if he doesn't seem to be improving."

It was only a few hours before his fever went down.

"See," Michael said, "Everything is just fine."

He kissed her.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I don't know why I'm so worried."

"Because youre a mother," Britten told his wife, "It's normal for you to worry."

"Did I ever tell you I love you," Hannah asked him.

"I never get tired of hearing it," he said kissing him.

"Not a problem," the doctor said, "I'm a father myself."

* * *

Britten got up and started to get dressed.

"Honey were are you going," Hannah asked.

"If Rex **is **truly alive he's running out of time," Michael explained.

"Go," she said

He finished dressing and went down to the station.


End file.
